This evening I took my kayak down to the La Salle river for a nice paddle. I launched just above the dam at La Barriere Park and paddled to Four Mile Road and back, around 9.1 km in total.

The river between La Barriere and Four Mile Road is absolutely beautiful and full of changes. The first half of the paddle was through the park, the river winds its way through huge trees that shaded the water in the evening light. The second half of the paddle took me through farmland and alongside a golf course.

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The river in this area should be good for paddling all season long since the water level is controlled by the dam at La Barriere. Going downstream the river apparently can get pretty shallow in late summer and early fall, but going upstream should be fine all the way to La Salle. The area I paddled was basically a long narrow lake since it didn't have any discernible current.

Watching the sun set while paddling was great, although I need to remember to bring sunglasses with me next time since I was occasionally blinded. Going in the evening allowed me to escape the heat of the day which was nice.